terne

terne · adjective¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*dʰerg-“to darken, dim”
2. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*derk“dark; dirty”
3. Frankish · derived from*darnī“concealed, hidden; secret”
4. Old French · derived fromterne“dim, dull”
5. French · borrowed fromterne
6. English todayterne

Borrowed from French terne, from Middle French, from Old French terne (“dim, dull”), from Frankish *darnī (“concealed, hidden; secret”); further etymology unknown, perhaps related to Proto-West Germanic *derk (“dark; dirty”), perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰerg- (“to darken, dim”). Doublet of dern.

terne · noun²

From terneplate, probably from terne (“colourless, drab, dull”) (see etymology 1) + plate (“layer of a material on the surface of something, plating”).

terne · noun³

A variant of tern.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• 17th c. Obsolete spelling of tern (“any of various seabirds of the subfamily Sternidae (of the family Laridae) that are similar to gulls but are smaller and have a forked tail”).